Saturday, April 4, 2009

The One and Only Original All New and Improved Real Pink Saturday Post

Since we moved to Wooster Square, here in New Haven, I have always been in love with the house that sits opposite us on the square. We knew it had been converted into three apartments - but have never met any of the tenanats, so I was never able to get inside the house. They didn't even come to the front door when I was campaigning for Obama!

Well, the owner passed on, and the inheritor has decided to sell the place! We had our appointment with the real estate agent this afternoon. As we walked across the park, the very first cherry blossoms in the park were starting to pop, so I felt that was a good sign - and the house looks so lovely with all the pink blooms framing it!

This is a shot of the house head-on. It's pink (even pinker than it appears in these photos, since it's a grey overcast day here this afternoon). The trim is a blue that I'm not fond of at all. Even though I like pink, I have always felt this house should be a pale yellow with white trim and gold-leaf accents.
This is the front stairs - notice the absolutely gorgeous cut glass door glass! There is stained glass surrounding the cut glass - but it's the cut glass is really remarkable. Beautiful trims and turnings of course. We also had been told by people who have lived on the square forever that there is a matching staircase in the front hall that goes to the second floor! I was so ready for that!
Look at these magical and enchanting window trims! - and notice that every floor has its own trim design! The first floor has the magnificent cut glass in the windows - but the woodwork on the second floor and lower level are also nothing short of heavenly.
So - why no pictures of the incredible interiors? Because there was nothing to take pictures of. The place has been utterly desecrated by tacky contractors in the 1960's. Although the outside is pristine and in almost perfect historical condition, the inside has been subdivided in bizarre ways; the 18 foot (!) ceilings dropped to 9 foot ceilings; all the interior trims have either been removed or covered over; all the floors were covered over with linoleum; and, finally, every fireplace that had ever been in the home has been removed. Frankly, it doesn't look a lot different on the INSIDE than a college dormitory. The apartments look exactly like 1960's mass produced apartment buildings and there is nothing special about them at all - except that they are housed in this astounding exterior.

So, alas, we won't be putting up everything we own as collateral for a mortgage we would have until six months after we're both dead. The place is being sold as an income property (i.e. a gazillion dollars) - but it would take three more of the same amount to return the place to its former glory.

Oh - the interior staircase was also removed ... there are now two dividing walls down the center of the entrance hall, creating a hallway to access the apartments. Oh - there's not three apartments - there are SIX apartments.

Well, I guess the good thing about it is I don't have to worry about how to pay for - and then furnish! - the place! Or heat it. Or cool it. Or pay for upkeep.

Really - who wants to live in an extravagant, lavish, exquisite mansion anyway?!

I'm going to make something nice - why don't you, too?!

49 comments:

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

OMG---this made my heart ache when you described the interior, because in the French Quarter in NOLA, the same thing happens. The exterior is pristine (due to historical preservation code) and then the insides are turned into little rabbit hole condos that sell for over a million a piece.
I was soooo enjoying the outside photos and the cherry blossoms and just WAITING for the interior shots, and then the kicker that it was ruined.
How sad. Someone should be utterly flogged and keelhauled.
Two or three times.
With sharks in the waters.......
How can people DO that to a home of such grandeur?????? sigh,whimper

Sonia said...

Oh, Lovely, lovely pink house but I feel just like Anne, I was looking forward to see lavish interiors, with intricate works, just like the exterior, but alas...
sigh...
Good thing is, you wont be troubled with the damage in your pockets... =)

Diane said...

i LOVE that shot of the house with the cherry blossoms in the forefront!

this house is sooo lovely! i'd actually keep it pink! haha actually i love the pale yellow and pink together.

a shame what they did to it. there are many beautiful houses here in detroit that have been absolutely disrespected. you'd be horrified!

mo.stoneskin said...

I'd like to think that a man who does two pink saturday posts would end up living in a pink house like that.

So. Next saturday we'll be expecting 3 posts.

Vodka Mom said...

Pink? love it.....and your blog as well!!

Anonymous said...

Tristan thanks for the comments on my blog. Nice to see a man not afraid of pink. Great blog

Betty said...

What a disappointment that must have been. I love old houses and would much rather live in one than a cookie cutter house in the suburbs. Maybe someone will come along that can restore it to it's former beauty. Doubtful though. We just don't respect historic architecture here in the U.S..

A Fanciful Twist said...

Oh I agreeee!, Thank goodness the inside was the pits, who wants to live in an extravagant lavish mansion anyways, tee heee ;)

Oh not me, I'll settle for a country shack and peace of mind :) Unless of course, said mansion were free, left by an unknown aunt, with a sack of gold coins to accompany it... Oh yes...And it was still in its original glory of course...

YOu are a doll! so much fun on your blog ~ V

Nancy said...

So, I was thinking, how could you even sleep last night with the appointment to see this home today? My heart was beating so fast, but I slowly scrolled down through the pictures and took in all the details, and then I was jealous that you would have such an incredible property available and THEN...NO...they couldn't have done that! Oh, I love architecture so much, but you never know what people can do!

I'll just dream about what is inside.

Susie Jefferson said...

I think you had a lucky escape there... sometimes, fate just intervenes. It might be that the high ceilings are still there (and maybe even the original mouldings and ceiling rose) but all those alterations might have compromised the structure of the building, never mind destroying all the detail. I think your heart would have been broken (and your spirit, and wallet) if you had taken this one on.

You'll just have to mark it down to C'est la vie, and move on. Although if you won the lottery and money was no object, it would be a wonderful project (although I'd have a full structural survey done first!)

KatCollects said...

Oh Wow, that is to bad that they removed all the charm from the home. It is a beautiful home on the outside. I am sorry it didn't work out but hope you have a happy pink Saturday!
Kathy

The Joy of Nesting said...

I have been in any number of large old, French and Dutch, colonial style homes here in town, that have been "modernized" and "renovated", then turned into apartments :( My head knows it was done to provide needed income for the families, but my heart still aches for the lost art and history.

Pattie ;)
Mazatlan Mexico

Anonymous said...

I love it! Wish we had pink out here but their all replaced (beach cottage's) with huge McMansions on a tiny piece of land..I have not seen any foreclosure signs on front lawns here in Mass or for sale?!

Valerie said...

Oh, what a disappointment! I know exactly what you are referring to...have seen if happen time and time again in my parent's hometown of Detroit and even here in Kansas City. What a shame!

Valerie

P.S. Thanks for dropping by, I appreciate your comments! I thought of you this PM when my 2-year old son INSISTED on wearing sissy's ballet slippers.

Is there a Nutcracker performance in our future? (I promise no painful dance lessons unless he WANTS them) :) LOL

Deanna said...

Oh Tristan,
I can't believe that you won't be able to put your stamp on that lovely home. We have a neighborhood in Lubbock called Tech Terrace and some of the older homes had been turned into apartments for the Tech students. I believe some people have decided to take these homes and restore them back to their original state. When I go back home this summer, I will take photographs of the finished homes.

I'm glad that you were spared viewing the interior. I probably would have started crying. I think your color choice would have been spot on though.

¸.·´¸.·*´¨) ¸.·*´¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ Happy Pink Saturday
Deanna :D

Jules of Whimsicalnotions blog said...

Oh the disappointment i can feel it,the dream shattered ,the taste soured.However i can also feel the relief that loving it would have caused sooo much trouble.I too have favourite houses and wish to glimpse the interior.I have a fav pink house a little way from here that made me paint our own home in two different browny pinks.Its a dream place/Love your blog will be back.

HiHo said...

ahhh, hell... who wants to decorate, buy new furnishing, replace fixtures and pick fabrics? It's all over rated.
Heidi

Marie De Marco said...

well i think someone should have gone to jail...after all a house murder should get ya 10- to life.
marie

Ingrid Mida said...

How disappointing! I hope the new owners are rich and can restore it to its former glory. Can you imagine?

Eclectic Chic Style said...

What a beautiful beautiful piece of architecture. (I use the term in lieu of home since they've destroyed the interior) but I adore the colors and I must say you had the tension mounting at the thought of what grandieur awaited inside. I agree with another comment above, sometimes fate intervenes...which could only mean one thing.....something even grander awaits. Thank you for stopping by my blog today and I thoroughly enjoyed yours so much I'm a new follower. Have a lovely evening.....and I am doing just what you advise......going to create something. :)
♥ Teresa

Jennifer said...

I love the Pink House! I would totally want to live there! Thank You for sharing it!
Happy Pink Saturday!
Jennifer

Jorgelina said...

I love the Pink House!
Happy Pink Saturday!

Malisa said...

Whoever destroyed the interior of that house should be tarred and feathered! Is that legal in Conneticut? Oh,well, do it anyway!

Malisa

Anonymous said...

Well, at least you know now! But how sad that what you HOPED it would be like, wasn't. The outside is superb...and I can see white/pale yellow/gold trim, too. Sure hope whoever buys it (for mega bucks) has the good taste to come over and ask you 2 what you would like to see from across the square. It's the neighborly thing to do!
Go paint something yellow and white and gold........it'll feel good!

studioJudith said...

So sad .. . it looks as if it could have been a perfect Tristan Playhouse!

Pam @ Frippery said...

It looks like a house from a fairy tale. Only evil trolls or jealous gremlins would have destroyed the interior. Sadly that is the way many a grand old dame goes to ruin. I am sure you could have worked wonders there. Pam

Anonymous said...

Once again, why do people do such things?
Love the colors and the architecture, such beauty always makes my heart-a-flutter :)

Maija said...

Truly a tragedy!! A historical masterpiece becomes and abomination!

Shell said...

What a sweet pink house. It is shame it got totally ransacked. Who takes our fireplaces!! Hopefully, someone will restore her to her rightful glory inside.

Anonymous said...

Tristan,

How truly sad this had to happen. I can't imagine what in the world was going through their heads????? It is ashame that it was turned into a 60's style apartment building. (not my favorite years for decorating...harvest gold, avocado green YUK)


Oh well, you really didn't want it anyway. As you mentioned just think of the upkeep!!

Kris

Gossamer Creations said...

I enjoyed both of your PS posts. That house is beautiful, it's too bad they ruined it on the inside. Oh well still nice for you to look at. There are no homes like that where I live.....I wish there were.
Happy Pink Saturday.
~Sue~

Sue said...

What a gorgeous ole pink lady she is from the outside. As I was reading your post, I couldn't wait to get to the (what I thought would be) wonderful pics of the interior, and was also thinking you must've been
so excited walking up to the entrance.

*sigh* what a disappointment. Ole pink lady has dementia.

Tracy M. said...

Oh NO!! I hate it when they do that to beautiful old houses. Too bad they aren't selling it uber cheap so you could make it wonderful again. At least it's lovely to look at from the outside. ;)
Tracy M.

Melly said...

ooops sorry I'm not very gender friendly am I :) but you know you could pass as lovely especially after seeing your post. How abosolutely positively gorgeous is that house and the cherry blossom, beautiful!! Like the saying goes you can't judge a book by it's cover and sadly this was true with this magnificent house.
Happy Pink Saturday!!
Lovely to meet you Tristan :)
Melly:)

Nancy Malay said...

What a charming old home! I started looking at the exterior photos, and was preparing myself for stunning interior ones, but, I'll just have to use my imagination on this one!

Baroness Bijoutery said...

The Pink House is charming and belongs in another era. Whoever the fools were that desegregated the interior should be boiled in oil. It would be nice to have the money to restore it..but the price would be out of most peoples range. How can people take something so beautiful and turn it into junk. I will never understand this.....

{Bellamere Cottage} said...

Thanks so much for visiting Bellamere Cottage and for your kind words.

I LOVE that house. Too bad it didn't work out.

Blessings,
Spencer

Anonymous said...

A splendid house. It seems to me that this villa has half Moroccan style and half Napoleon III style. In any cases, it looks like the villas which were built at the end of the 19th till the beginning of the 20th century on the Basque coast (Southwest of France).

paperbatty said...

You always give such wonderful tours! This one had a heartbreaker at the end. Too bad this is happening everywhere. I enjoy your enthusiasm and imagination, and sometimes a little of your tone seeps over into my daily life, which I so appreciate.

Kims Art said...

This is my first time to your blog and I just wanted you to know how much I enjoyed the visit. I am going back to add you to my links. The outside of the house is so charming. I also would have been picturing it with a beautiful staircase and old fireplace. It is so sad when old places are stripped of all their character. Have a beautiful and creative week!

Chris said...

That's so sad. I was really in awe at the outside and was hoping to see such beautiful interiors. It's a shame that such amazing properties get turned into something so bland on the inside.

At least you still have the gorgeous outside to look at everyday.

Anonymous said...

The house is a sweetheart with it's pink paint color. Enjoyed the close ups of the window glasses. It really looks like such a sweet home to live in. But then you started describing the inside and what it's like. So sad. It does not represent what the exterior is showing. What a shame. I can just imagine a disappointed Tristan. Well? I mean you described the house beautifully and I'm sure you have a picture of what it should - or what it would have looked like.

Char said...

Sadly, sometimes things are better left to the imagination. Now every time you look at that gorgeous home, all you will see is what could have been. What was done there should have been against the law. Wouldn't you just love to know where all the insides went? I don't think so......just dream about that, it'll will make you happier for sure. Happy Pink Saturday and see you next week, Char

Anonymous said...

So beautiful...so sad.

vintagepaletteart said...

Oh my........that makes me just want to cry...............=o( At least you have that gorgeous exterior to look at Tristan........=o)

Mermaids of the Lake said...

How terribly sad to do that to such a beautiful house; and how disappointing to the two of you. You do have a very good attitude about the whole thing. Gorgeous pink though!

Mermaid Debbie

Lisa said...

Really great Pink HOUSE! Very Good shots of it! Too bad it's Apartments!
Happy Pink Saturday!
Hugs, Lisa

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing!

Happy (belated) Pink Saturday...on Tuesday! X Es X

j said...

A case of looks being deceiving. It really was so lovely in those pictures.

I have enjoyed strolling around your blog this evening. It truly is enchanting!